The invention relates to a slide holder for holding slides and, more particularly, it concerns a slide holder of unitary construction for receiving and securing one or more microscope slides.
In serologic and other diagnostic procedures requiring the microscopic examination of solid or liquid samples or specimens such as tissue, blood, urine, spinal fluid, sputum, or cell cultures, the customary practice has been to place a small drop of the specimen to be analyzed in or on a well, or retaining area, on a slide. Placing the specimen on the slide forms a thin film on the slide. The slide is often made of glass and consequently, the slide may be fragile and susceptible to being scratched or otherwise damaged. Manipulation may cause damage to the specimen as well. Accordingly, careful handling of specimen slides is a concern.
Moreover, the automated chemical and biological analysis of solid or liquid specimens is a common practice in numerous technological fields. These specimens are frequently placed on a slide, such as a microscope slide (also termed microslide), and form a film thereon. Examples of such fields include, but are not limited to, the field of medicine or health care and the field of pollution analysis and control. For example, instruments for automated blood cell analysis are known in the art.
Equipment used to facilitate the automated analysis of specimens often require that the specimens be stacked, transported, and properly oriented within an automated analytical instrument. It is therefore desirable to employ a device for storing and holding individual or multiple slides in a manner such that specimens retained thereon are protected during handling and the assay process. Further, it is desirable to employ a device that otherwise protects slides when using automated machinery, thus speeding up the assay. Preferably, the slides should be able to be quickly inserted into and removed from such a device with a minimum amount of effort. It is desirable that the slides be secured to the device and properly oriented. Even without the use of automated equipment, it is desirable to conveniently handle, store, and protect individual or multiple slides.
Thus, there exists a need for an improved slide holder that can be used to secure, transport, and protect one or more slides and the specimens thereon. It is also desirable that such a slide holder be easy to use, inexpensive to manufacture, and constructed from materials that are common in the industry today. The present invention addresses these needs.